Relaunches are something PM Spirits is a black belt at. We're in constant conversations with brands that have already dipped their toes in the US market but feel like they're not getting it right. They're looking for that partner to FINALLY bring them this "success" the brand feels it deserves.
Brand A, seasoned yet not shining in the US, watches its nemesis, Brand B, in the spotlight. Frustrated and wanting the situation to change, Brand A come knocking at our door, hoping we can somehow orchestrate that breakthrough.
In the many tales of "Brand A" we witnessed, we often see a journey of ambition, impatience, and disappointment. The belief that sales will 3X, 5X etc... in a blink if only one could find the right importer.
Sadly believing that switching partners will make sales flow is misguided. A new importer is not the magic fix.
First, the brand may just never "make it" for a variety of reasons, some linked to timing, the brand itself, internal politics, people, change in leadership, funding... or just the fact that it "wasn't in the cards". Not every brand ends up successful in the US.
Unless the team leading Brand A can truly do a mental reset, put aside the many years of frustrations due to subpar results and have a long term approach to this US journey 2.0, here is what will happen:
2 years into the relationship, patience starts to wear thin, expectations soar higher, and the eventual realization that the anticipated quick wins are not happening settle in.
Three years pass, goals remain distant, and the honeymoon phase with the importer is over. Brand A starts losing trust in the lethal weapon of sales it thought it once had found.
This cycle of hope, frustration, and disillusionment is a recurring theme.
The impact on the importer's team's spirit and quality of life is real. Drama, as it turns out, is an energy drainer.
But there's a different path less traveled. It's about true partnership. And the shared understanding that what is being played is A VERY LONG GAME.
In our collaboration with brands, the initial 2 to 3 years are about setting the foundation. There might be dips in sales - wait, no, there WILL BE DIPS - even significant ones. But it's all part of recalibrating & finding the right rhythm.
By year four, the strategy has good chances to starts humming, stories begin to spread, and a new dynamic might emerge. This is when a brand, with our guidance, might begin to echo across the market, benefitting from the foundational work PM Spirits laid down as well as the brand's own efforts to build its narrative through powerful marketing and a solid social media presence (*).
By the fifth or sixth year, the fruits of patience, dedication, and collaborative storytelling should start to ripen.
Now sometimes nothing happens. Reasons are many. Not everyone get it right all the time. Not every brand will be succesfull.
But when it happens it's a testament to the fact that success in this industry is about true partnership, understanding, patience, ability to curb frustrations and the burning desire to succeed tomorrow. And relentless effort across many many years, not months.
(*) A brand has to understand that to have a chance at - maybe - being successfull, it is its responsibility to put it solid time, skills and effort in telling its own story and building its message. Across all social media platforms and beyond. The absence of a steady commitment to brand-building will thwart the importer's efforts.